In 1337, King Edward III of England laid claim to the French
throne, thus starting the lengthy series of conflicts known as the Hundred Years
War. This was the first major contact between the two sides, a naval battle
fought off the coast of Flanders.
In June 1340 at English fleet of 210 ships crossed the
English Channel to meet a combined fleet of 190 French and Genoese ships that was
drawn up in the inlet of Sluys in Flanders.
The French placed their fleet in a defensive position,
lashing their anchored ships together with cables to create a floating platform
on which to fight. The Genoese commander kept his galleys free behind the
French lines. In response, the English placed single ships filled with knights
and swordsmen between two ships packed with longbowmen. Naval battles at that
time were fought aboard the ships’ decks.
Battle started at around noon on 24th June and
continued for most of the day and night.
Both sides used grappling hooks to hold an enemy ship fast
while it was boarded, but it was the English who eventually got the better of
the battle. This was because the English ships were free to attack the anchored
French ships as and when required, and also because their longbows could
produce more rapid and accurate fire than the crossbows of their opponents.
The result was a disaster for the French, with their
commanders killed and 170 ships captured or sunk. Only the Genoese managed to
inflict any damage on the English fleet, capturing two of their ships.
England’s victory ended the threat of a French naval
invasion and brought England dominance of the channel.
© John Welford
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